Side Orders: Survey shows Turkey Day favorites

photo Thanksgiving tile

On Thursday, as millions of Americans sit around the table, digging into a huge Thanksgiving dinner, here's some interesting trivia to consider, courtesy of SodaHead.com, one of the Internet's largest opinion-based communities. Recently, the website asked people to share opinions on their favorite things about Thanksgiving. Here are the results ...

• Thirty-one percent of men say their favorite part of the holiday is spending time with family. That was followed closely by eating at 29 percent. I thought the two may have been reversed, so surprise, surprise. Only 13 percent say their favorite thing about the day is watching football.

• The majority of women - 36 percent - say their favorite thing about Thanksgiving is eating, followed by spending time with family (31 percent). Once again, I thought the two would be reversed. And a whopping 10 percent say they enjoy sitting down to a good game of football following the meal.

• The favorite food on Thanksgiving came as no surprise - turkey, followed by stuffing, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. The classic green bean casserole received just 4 percent of the vote. No big shock there. As good as that casserole is, it really is passe.

• The favorite dessert is pumpkin pie (41 percent) followed by pecan pie (18 percent), apple pie (14 percent) and sweet potato pie (7 percent).

I can't believe no one mentioned cheesecake, but whatever dessert you have, I hope it's a good one. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Eat lots of turkey and dressing ... and work it off on Black Friday as you walk the malls.


If you, like many, have turkey left over after Thursday's meal, here's a recipe for pot pie that's just a little different from most others. The crust contains wheat germ, which gives it a more healthful kick since it's the most vitamin-packed and mineral-rich part of the wheat kernel. The recipe, from Kretschmer, maker of toasted wheat germ, calls for making it in individual aluminum pie pans, but I see no problem making it in a casserole dish since not everyone has individual pie pans at the ready.

Turkey Pot Pie with Wheat Germ Crust

Filling

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms

1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon toasted wheat germ

1 cup 1 percent milk

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups shredded cooked turkey (about 8 ounces)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons canola oil

4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

To prepare the filling, heat oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms and thyme and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

In small bowl, mix together flour and wheat germ. Gradually whisk in milk to prevent lumps from forming. Add milk mixture to the vegetables along with chicken broth, turkey, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until thickened. Stir in peas and divide mixture into 4 pans.

To prepare the crust, mix flour and wheat germ in large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub oil and butter into the flour to create very small crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together. Pat dough into a disc, then cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough between two pieces of waxed paper or parchment to a 7-inch diameter. Cut a few slits in the top of each rolled-out piece of dough and top each pie with the dough, folding the dough under and crimping edges using your thumb and index finger. Place pans onto baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until crust is golden. Remove from oven and brush crust with olive oil before serving.

Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.

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